homecoming
by ink.bird
Summary: drabble. post-movie. after Pooch, it's Jensen's turn to go home. :Cougar/Jensen.if you squint and close one eye:


They hang around Springfield for a while after Pooch's son is born.

First it's them making sure they haven't been followed and that mother and child are healthy and happy. Then it's filled with them getting drunk and listening to Jolene yell and curse at them before hugging them all tightly—including Aisha—and proceeding to stuff them full of delicious home-cooked goodness. Generally lazing around and relaxing like they haven't in a long time. Eventually though, Jensen starts to get a little twitchy and Pooch is the one who finally shoos them out the door.

He grins as Jolene shoves care packages into their hands and makes them promise to call. "Don't let him get mauled too badly."

The closer they get to New Hampshire, the worse Jensen's babbling and fidgeting gets. They all ignore it with wry fondness and even Aisha can't stop her lips from quirking every so often. When they turn into the quiet cul-de-sac, the hacker goes silent and Cougar can't remember the last time he's seen his eyes that bright.

As soon as Jensen steps out of the car, the front door flies open and a young blonde comes flying down the driveway—Jensen's trademarked grin scrawled across her face. "UNCLE JAKE!"

Jensen bounds forward as Beth launches herself into his arms; shrieking and giggling as he spins her around. They can hear her chattering on, but the hacker himself is quiet as he buries his face into her hair and just holds her tightly. Moments later another blonde appears in the doorway, identical to the ones outside and Cougar can see that her knees are ready to give out.

"Oh my God, _Jake._"

Jensen's head comes up and for a silent moment it's like someone pressed _pause_ on the world. Then he sets his niece down and Jo vaults herself down the front steps with a choked off cry. Jensen barely gets three steps in before they collide in a tangle of limbs and blonde hair and senseless babbling. They're pressed together so tightly it's hard to tell what belongs to whom, and someone is sobbing but it's uncertain if it's brother or sister.

Beth shuffles over and reaches up to tug on her uncle's shirt. Jensen doesn't hesitate to scoop her up and balance her against his hip, all the while keeping one arm wrapped around his sister. Their foreheads are pressed together and the hacker murmurs something to her and she chokes out a watery laugh before nodding. They finally pull away from each other and look back to where the rest of the team is waiting _(and Aisha is surreptitiously filming the entire thing on her phone)_ and Cougar feels his heart clench at the sheer luminescence in Jensen's eyes.

"So. Anyone else starving?"

Beth cheers and wriggles out of her uncle's arms—skipping up the driveway as soon as she hits the ground, chirping about lemonade and ice cream pie. Jensen wipes his cheeks, kisses Jo on the forehead then chases his shrieking niece back into the house.

The younger Jensen sibling doesn't bother hiding her tears as they approach and she beams as Clay reaches her. Their CO seems unsurprised when she hugs him fiercely and even chuckles as she mumbles something into his chest, placing a kiss atop her head. Aisha on the other hand seems completely thrown when she too gets hauled into a hug, and Cougar isn't dumb enough to let the photo opportunity slip away.

"Welcome home," she says quietly.

Cougar waits until the other two have gone inside before he slides up next to Jo and places a hand on her shoulder. She turns to look up at him and her smile is blinding and familiar. She doesn't hug him, but gathers his hands in hers and places a kiss on his knuckles.

"_Thank you. _Thank you for keeping him _safe._"

Cougar chuckles and pulls her into his side. Together they walk up the driveway and he leans down to kiss her temple and whisper in her ear as they enter the house.

"_Always." _

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**a/n: **I really wish we had gotten to see this scene in the movie. at least a deleted scene of it. yeesh.

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